News

Delta's Masters of Winter

Dec 21, 2016

Winter hit Delta in full force over the past few weeks, giving residents a reminder of the need to be prepared for the season.

Through the Snow and Ice Policy, the Corporation of Delta has been ready for what the forecast promised. To combat the elements during the recent snow event, Engineering Operations mobilized its nine trucks (filled with salt, sand, and brine) and collective of foot patrols, to help clear out priority routes to make the commutes for Delta's residents as safe as possible.

The work was constant, with the crews using over 70,000 litres of brine and approximately 2000 metric tonnes of salt (that's over 3 million pounds!). On one particularly busy day, the crews were estimated to have used 350 metric tonnes of salt.

In terms of priorities, sanding, salting and snowplow resources were allocated to first priority routes (public transit routes, major collectors, select school access roadways, etc.) until the conditions were under control. Depending on the snow, the first priority routes can take some time to complete.

Once these conditions were met, staff were able to address second and third priority areas, including residential areas, school bus routes, and cul-de-sacs. While maintaining clear first and second priority routes was an ongoing process, as conditions on those routes deteriorated over time, staff were able to review and respond to emergency one-off situations (residential areas on a steep slope, etc.).

Take a look at some of the work done by Engineering Operations to help mitigate the snow:

Everyone's got a Guardian (Snow) Angel

Of course, much of the success could not have been achieved without the help of all the Snow Angels and countless unregistered volunteers who helped clear out sidewalks and driveways in their communities. Their selflessness helped make the lives of Delta's Engineering Operations a little bit easier.

"This is my first year doing the Snow Angels program" remarked 16 year-old Snow Angel Jeffrey Lin. "I feel like it is a good way to be apart of the community and get involved".

Jeffrey is one of the several volunteers currently registered in the program. This year, Delta supplied 500 kg of salt to the Snow Angels program, as well as 50 shovels, enabling them to further improve the safety of their communities.

While the snow has momentarily melted away, winter is officially here, so be ready to help the seniors and neighbours-in-need throughout your community!

If you want to officially register as a Snow Angel and help the broader community throughout the winter, sign up online today!